The invention relates generally to methods and devices for transporting goods and, more particularly, to methods and devices for transporting containers so that they remain substantially level during transport, which is especially beneficial in transporting containing having liquids or solids.
Oftentimes, a person may need to have a bucket of material available in order for a person to complete a task. For example, painters purchase large buckets of paint in order to reduce their costs. As another example, an installer of drywall commonly has a large bucket of drywall paste, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cmud,xe2x80x9d which the installer uses in covering seams between pieces of drywall. Buckets are not only used in the construction industry but are also commonly used in other industries, such as the food and beverage industry. Marinated chicken, marinara, cheese, and other food supplies are commonly bought and kept in stock in large buckets. As can be appreciated, many people in their jobs as well as other times have an occasion to use a bucket or other similar type of container.
While large containers such as a bucket are convenient in that they can store large quantities of material, these containers are rather difficult to transport. Typically, a handle is integrally formed with the bucket and a person uses this handle in carrying the bucket from one place to the next place. Carrying a bucket by its handle, however, is rather burdensome and difficult. A heavy bucket is not easily carried since a person lifts the bucket and places the bucket away from his or her body, thereby presenting some torsional forces upon the person. For instance, if the bucket is held in front of the person, these forces would create a strain on the person""s back. To align the bucket with the person""s center of gravity, the person would need to position the bucket between his or her legs, which would render it difficult to walk and carry the bucket at the same time.
Various devices are known to assist a person in carrying buckets or other containers. One of these devices is a simple cart upon which the container is placed. The cart has wheels that allow the user to easily move the heavy container from one location to another. Other types of devices have wheels for transporting the container and some type of surface for supporting the container. These types of devices alleviate to some degree the burden and strain placed on a person in transporting the containers. These devices, however, are still inadequate for transporting many types of materials because they fail to maintain the container substantially upright or level during travel. For example, when the container is not completely sealed, such as when its lid is off, the material within the bucket can easily leave the bucket during transport.
The present invention addresses the problems described above by providing devices and methods for transporting containers which are able to maintain the containers substantially level during transport. A device according to a preferred embodiment includes a frame, at least two legs coupled to the frame and having wheels, and a boom coupled to the frame. The device is transported by grasping the frame and moving the frame along a surface, with the wheels rolling along the surface. Advantageously, the boom carries the container so that the container is maintained in a substantially upright position during transport. Thus, even though the surface may be angled, the device is capable of keeping the container substantially level. As can be appreciated, the device is especially well suited for containers having liquids or even some solids, since the device can help minimize any losses of contents during transport.
According to another aspect, a device according to the invention includes a frame, a boom coupled to the frame, and at least two legs each attached to the frame and having a wheel. The boom includes structure that allows a container to be fastened to the device in a secure manner. The legs are moveable with respect to each other such that they can be separated from each other during use and can be moved toward each other during storage. Preferably, the boom can be pivoted relative to the frame and the legs can be pivoted relative to the frame so that the entire device can form a compact structure during storage. To even further reduce the size of the device, the legs may be telescopic such that they can be extended during use but collapsed during storage.
The container can be coupled to the boom in any suitable manner. For instance, the boom can include structure that allows the container to pivot during transport. The boom could have a U-shaped support rotationally coupled to the frame. The boom may further include multiple attachment points for attaching multiple containers.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the device may include an attachment removably connected to at least one of the legs. The attachment is preferably a collapsible assembly which attaches to at least one of the legs and allows the device to remain upright unassisted. The attachment may further include a swiveling wheel to aid in turning the device.